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The Specs XI

armchairumpire

U19 Cricketer
Not sure if this has been done before, but how about a team of current and former international cricketers who play cricket wearing glasses.

So far I have thought of..

Zaheer Abbas
Dirk Wellham
Ray Phillips
Ashley Mallett
Daniel Vettori

Any others?
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
armchairumpire said:
Not sure if this has been done before, but how about a team of current and former international cricketers who play cricket wearing glasses.

So far I have thought of..

Zaheer Abbas
Dirk Wellham
Ray Phillips
Ashley Mallett
Daniel Vettori

Any others?
You dont find modern day cricketers wearing glasses for obvious reason....lenses.

BTW, Boycott wore glasses for a large part of his career. I can still remember him handing over his glasses to the umpire whenever he was called upon to bowl.
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
Here are some cricketers who played international cricket with specs. Here is the first bunch from an eventual eleven wearing their spectacles!

Geoff Boycott (opener) :
Needs no introduction.
[IMG]http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40224000/jpg/_40224729_boycott270.jpg

David Steele (Right handed batsman) :
The bank clerk who went to war
. A selectorial coup by England captain Tony Grieg. In a career of just 8 tests, Silver haired Steele (looking much older than his 33 years) stood up as Englands first line of defense against Lillee and Thomson at their fearsome best and then against the West Indian battery.


Bill Bowes (Right arm Pace) :
Was larwoods partner in bodyline series


Alf Valentine (Left Arm Spinner):
One half of the Legendry Partnership with Ramadhin that destroyed england in the early fifties.


Daniel Vettori (Laft Arm Spinner - useful lower order bat) :
Needs no introduction


Dilip Doshi (Yet another left arm spinner - why do so many of them wear glasses???). Followed in the HUGE footsteps of Bishen Bedi and did a decent job with his flatish stuff.
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
Zaheer Abbas : (Right hand bat)
Great Pakistani batsman and only player ever from the subcontinent to score 100 first class centuries.

 

FRAZ

International Captain
Yes SJS thanks for the pics and actually I have heard that Zaheer's career ended due to his bad eye sight too . If some one has read his biography , I think he did mention the problem with his eye sight !!!!
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
Charles Palmer (Right hand bat and RAMO plus RAOS):
Colourful and controversial., Plamer played just one test but scored over 17000 FC runs with 33 centuries and a top score of 201 PLUS 365 wickets at 25 odd each with best ever of 8 for 7 !!!!

He has been called :-
- he looked "like a hen-pecked bank clerk in a farce". - Trevor Bailey
- "A leader without flourish, but indeed a leader." - the Playfair Annnual

and most interstingly...

In 1955, against mighty Surrey, he brought himself on for an over so his spinners could change ends. "Go easy on me," he said to Peter May, who was looking ominously well-set. "I haven't bowled this year." Palmer found a wet spot, and the ball kept skidding off it on to the stumps. Seven batsmen were bowled and Palmer found himself with figures of 11-11-0-8. It took a few swipes from Jim Laker to save his own figures of eight for two from eclipse, and Palmer finished with eight for seven. But even this caused less surprise than his party trick of bowling donkey-drops. "They were uncanny," recalls Mike Turner. "He ran up normally but then the ball went as high as the roof of a house - I'm not joking - and the length was such that it literally fell on the stumps. Jock Livingston of Northamptonshire saw one coming. And I can see him now, leaning over the stumps looking to slog it. It ran down the face of the bat. Caught at slip."

He
shall be our all rounder and manager !!
 

FRAZ

International Captain
Just imagine how big these legends were who played without a helmet and faced the monsters like Imran , Garner ,Roberts , Sarfraz , Croft . Man just imagine .
Sir Viv Richards a true legend (the guy never took his eye off the ball ) and never used the helmet .You see in this pic Zahher is not wearing a helmet and he has glasses on too .
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
Clive "Big Cat" Lloyd:
Left hand batsman, brilliant fielder and captain
Needs no further introduction



Eddie Barlow :
Wonderful Right hand middle order batsman and RAMP bowler. A member of the great 'lost' South African side of the sixties/seventies.



 

Hugh

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
FRAZ said:
Just imagine how big these legends were who played without a helmet and faced the monsters like Imran , Garner ,Roberts , Sarfraz , Croft . Man just imagine . .....You see in this pic Zahher is not wearing a helmet and he has glasses on too .

It is not a fast bowler he's facing in that image.
 

SJS

Hall of Fame Member
Before we proceed I would like to share the amazing stats of David Steel's career. Taken out of the blue by England captain he was sent in to face the marauding Aussie pacemen, Lillee and Thommo for the second test. His scores with the bowlers faced :-

- Lords - 50 and 45 (Lillee, Thomson, Walker and Mallet)
- Headinley - 73 and 92 (Lillee, Thomson, Walker, Gilmour)
- The Oval - 39 and 66 (Lillee, Thomson, Walker, Mallet)

England drew all three tests after having lost the first by an innings before Steele came in!!

Then came West Indies and he scored :-

- Trentbridge - 106 and 6 (Roberts, Julien, Holder, daniell)
- Lord's - 7 and 64 (Roberts, Holding, Julien, Holder)
- Old Trafford 20 and 15 (Roberts, Holding, Daniel)

- The Oval - 44 and 42 (Roberts, Holding, Holder, Daniel)

They asked him to open in the 4th test at Headingley and he failed with 4 and 0. England drew the first two tests and lost the last three when Steele failed to come off.

That was his entire career of 8 tests. An average of 42 and a bit.which would have been 49 if you took away the test in which he was made to open.

Steele was made of steel.
 

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